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Rockies claim Chris Rusin off waivers

by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

The Rockiesclaimed pitcher Chris Rusin off waivers from the Cubs, according to MLB.com on Saturday. Rusin went 4-9 with a 4.97 ERA in three seasons with Chicago. He owned a 7.11 ERA over 12 2/3 innings of work this season.

The team endured a 16-inning game Tuesday, so bringing up a bullpen reinforcement makes sense. They have yet to announce a corresponding move, but they may be able to clear a space if they trade Emilio Bonifacio before gametime Wednesday. Rusin has given up six runs in 8 2/3 innings over two games with the Cubs.

Clearly, the headliners from Saturday's trade between the Cubs and Athletics were Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, and both immediately become must-owns in AL-only leagues. Their departure leaves the Cubs with two big holes to fill in their rotation, and there is no shortage of candidates to fill them.

Carlos Villanueva has replaced Samardzija for his Saturday start at the Nationals, but he is not necessarily among the candidates to fill a spot long-term. Even if he were, Villanueva has not had a sterling track record as a starter (career 4.94 ERA), so he can be passed over in virtually all Fantasy formats.

Then there is Dan Straily, who was acquired from the A's as part of the return for Samardzija and Hammel. He will report to Triple-A Iowa, but according to CSNChicago.com, he could be up with the big club soon. Because of his strikeout potential, Straily is worth stashing in NL-only leagues. He has a Jake Odorizzi-like skill set -- complete with shaky control and a high flyball rate -- but without a pitcher's park like Tropicana Field (or his former home of O.co Coliseum) to come home to, there may be little respite from home runs.

A better risk than Straily is Tsuyoshi Wada, who has already been announced as Tuesday's starter at the Reds. He has similar strikeout potential to Straily but with fewer control issues and slightly less pronounced flyball tendencies. He is worth pursuing in some deeper mixed leagues, as well as in NL-only formats.

Chris Rusin, just called up for bullpen duty, Dallas Beeler and Kyle Hendricks will also be in the mix, according to ESPN.com, but none has appeal outside of deeper NL-only leagues. With so much competition for two open spots, none of those three are really worth the trouble of expending FAAB dollars or a waiver priority.